What caught our eye about Sanoli Chowdhury’s new EP, It’s All A Monotonous Game, is the nostalgia-inducing album cover. “The picture is of my mom in West Bengal in 1997. It was taken by my dad. The colours and the atmosphere really struck me — the ideaof an empty barren landscape,with nothing else but elements of calm and quiet,” the Bengaluru-based artiste tells us. Incidentally, ‘nostalgia-inducing’ is also the perfect description of her indie alternative music, along with adjectives such as unhurried and intimate.
The five-track EP is the 21- year-old’s sophomore album. “The EP revolves around the ideas of love, loss and relationships. It’s really just about my experiences in life and what I have made out of them,” she shares. The musician was about seven years old when she first picked up the guitar, but producing
music came much later. “I got into making music only three years ago, in my first year of college and there has been no stopping since. I feel like I’ve found something that brings immense pleasure and satisfaction into my life. It is an art that I can connect with, one that narrates my stories more profoundly than words ever could. But, having said that, the guitar is where I started, and it is that which must never rest,” says the producer, who considers Tom Misch, Steven Wilson, John Mayer and Jack Johnson her inspirations.
The songs in the album, sung in Sanoli’s raw and soothing voice, are melancholic and show her vulnerability. “Though all the songs are written about different experiences, it’s safe to say they revolve around people,” she shares. A Lie That We Lived Together talks about losing what you never had. The accompanying video for the song, that was also released recently, depicts three individuals who know that their relationship is close to its end. “The sense of discomfort they all feel is the only common thing left between them. They are aware that their day to part is near, but it is only a matter of time till they confront one another about it. It’s not that love has died, but that it may never have existed,” the producer adds.
The second video, for the track Dear Carol, gives a glimpse of what it’s like to dwell on ideas of heartbreak too. “ It explores what it’s like to be abandoned, leaving room for introspection. I feel it’s good to grieve about experiences and to allow yourself to feel every inch of that pain till it departs on its own. Pain can be unexpected and it’s good to take a minute to process it. Give yourself sufficient time to heal. Life is messy and that’s its beauty,” she adds.
In future, Sanoli plans to make more music that includes collaborations with artistes in India and abroad, and hone her sound, mixing and production skills.
It’s All A Monotonous Game is available on all streaming platforms
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